Jordan PM resigns after general election

Jordan’s outgoing Prime Minister, Bisher Khasawneh, submitted his resignation to King Abdullah II earlier on Sunday, following the country’s legislative elections.

Khasawneh, 55, has led the government since October 2020.

However, the King nominated his Chief of Staff, Jaafar Hassan, as the new Prime Minister, the royal palace announced, entrusting him with forming a government after the parliamentary elections.

According to the kingdom’s constitution, the government usually resigns following legislative elections. The prime minister is appointed by the king, not by parliament, which holds limited powers.

“King Abdullah on Sunday tasked Jaafar Hassan with forming a new government,” a palace statement said.

In addition to being the Chief of Staff, the 56-year-old Hassan had previously served as planning minister.

In Tuesday’s election, Jordan’s leading Islamist party, the Islamic Action Front, became the largest in parliament, securing 31 out of the 138 seats.

The IAF is a political offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, and the result marks the Islamists’ largest representation since 1989.

Despite a low voter turnout of 32 per cent, the party’s success was driven by voter frustration over economic difficulties and Israel’s war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, becoming only the second Arab state to do so after Egypt. However, regular protests have called for the treaty’s dissolution since the war erupted last October.

Nearly half of the country’s population is of Palestinian descent.

Jordan’s parliament is bicameral, consisting of an elected lower house and a senate with 69 members appointed by the monarch.

The ongoing war in Gaza has negatively impacted Jordan’s tourism sector, which accounts for approximately 14 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product.

The kingdom is heavily reliant on foreign aid, particularly from the United States and the International Monetary Fund.

In the first quarter of 2024, Jordan’s unemployment rate stood at 21 per cent.

AFP